Canadian Party of Quebec Foundational Principles
A bold, forward-looking, federalist vision of Quebec to encourage a renaissance that makes our province a major economic, cultural, and linguistic rights hub of Canada and North America.
Principle 1: Rights are Rights are Rights
TheCanadian Party of Quebec / Parti canadien du Québec (“PaCQ” or “CaPQ”) is deeply committed to the defence of human rights, civil liberties, and official language equality in Canada. It will defend the constitutional protections of all Quebecers, including those directly affecting Quebec’s English-speaking community. It will seek to re-establish the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms as the fundamental law of Quebec, to ensure that all provincial legislation complies with it, and defend it from arbitrary legislative changes. Furthermore, the Party will support court challenges whenever the provincial government makes arbitrary and draconian legislative changes.
The Party pledges unconditional, unequivocal opposition to Quebec’s Law 21, Law 40 and Bill 96. It will vigorously advocate for the rescinding or withdrawal of these laws/bills and their equivalents.
Principle 2: Respecting the Integrity of the Canadian Constitution
The Party agrees that the Canadian Constitution (“Constitution”) is the bedrock of the federal nation-state and applies to the Province of Quebec in its entirety. It asserts without reservation that the Constitution Act, 1982, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (“Canadian Charter”) and amending formula, is an integral part of the Constitution. At the same time, the Party will advocate for the removal of the Notwithstanding Clause (S.33) and a limit to provincial constitution modifications (S.45) that diminish the national Constitution as a whole.
The Party supports the valid enactment of a French language version of the Constitution to reaffirm Canada’s bilingual foundation. In addition, it will oppose any illegitimate changes that alter the operation of federal institutions or remove the official status of English in the province. The Party also repudiates the unconstitutional agreement that allows Quebec to formally assist in the selection of the province’s share of Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) justices.
Regarding Canada’s territorial integrity, the Party supports the SCC’s Reference re Secession of Quebec judgment, and calls for the repeal of Bill 99, An Act respecting the exercise of the fundamental rights and prerogatives of the Québec people and the Québec State.
Principle 3: Bilingualism
The Party is committed to symmetrical Canadian bilingualism, in particular the guarantee of full linguistic rights for the two recognized official language minorities of Canada: The English-speaking minority of the Province of Quebec, and the French-speaking minority living outside Quebec. The Party also believes that newcomers settling in Quebec must have their Canadian official language of choice respected.
The Party will advocate for a national framework to ensure the consistent delivery of government services in English and French at the federal, provincial and territorial levels. It rejects coercive language legislation, and favours incentivizing and promoting both official languages in the public and private spheres. The Party asserts that both French and English are official languages of Quebec at the provincial level.
Principle 4: Educational Choice
The Party firmly believes that every Quebec resident, regardless of mother tongue, has the inalienable right to educational choice from daycare to CEGEP and university studies. It believes that a parent and/or guardian should have the right, where numbers warrant, to send their children to the school of their choosing, regardless of country of origin, Canadian province of origin, or mother tongue.
The Party fully supports expanding educational choice in Quebec by invoking S.23(1)(a) of the Canadian Charter. Furthermore, the CaPQ believes that all children for whom English is either the mother tongue or First Official Language Spoken (FOLS) have the right to English schooling in Quebec.
Principle 5: Prosperity for all Quebecers
The Party believes that Quebec’s socio-economic prosperity depends on eliminating state-driven discrimination against its residents, reimagining the state’s role in the economy, investing in the health and well-being of all Quebecers, and removing constraints tolabourmobility, entrepreneurship, and capital investment. The Party supports open markets, free enterprise, and Quebec’s engagement in the global economy. It will also address Quebecers’ cost-of-living, income security, and labour market fairness concerns.
Principle 6: Rapprochement and Reconciliation
The Party believes in Quebecers’ unity of purpose and social cohesion. As such, it asserts that all Quebecers, be they Canadian citizens, permanent residents or new arrivals, deserve fair and equitable treatment before the law. The Party also supports expanded reconciliation efforts between Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit, Métis) in Quebec and non-indigenous Quebecers. rapprochement (goodwill and cooperation) between English-speaking and French-speaking Quebecers, as well as enhanced governmental efforts to welcome and better integrate newcomers into society